Great article and this basically reflects the way I feel about it. I highlighted a good part of it here:

Quote:

Focus mitts were incorporated into boxing many decades ago and more – so there are different theories on its origination. Boxing trainers use focus mitt work (aka padwork or mittwork), to give dynamic practice for fighters to work on the things that happen while fighting. It gives a live body to train in front of. It continues to be used today for warming-up a fighter, working on movement, and fine-tuning skills. The problem is the focus of the mittwork; what is a trainer trying to achieve? Boxing trainers are increasingly adopting a cookie-cutter approach to teaching skills. Today, padwork is more for warming up guys or showing-off than for fine-tuning skill-sets. People love the way the Mayweathers do padwork perhaps because it looks so intricate. Other trainers stick to fads like towel slipping and tube punching – useful in some ways and some much less than others – but should not replace good ol’fashioned mittwork – the kind that is almost like sparring. And we don’t replace sparring, right?

The repetitive and fast action of the Mayweather style of mittwork indeed helps reflexes, short punches, and making things second nature, but bad habits may develop from it, too. There are plenty of young non-Mayweathers who don’t have the pedigree or time to become good in spite of paddy-cake padwork. They aren’t sitting on punches, turning their hips, or learning how to improvise within the fundamentals. There is no doubt that Roger, Jeff, Floyd Sr., and Floyd Jr. were each tremendous talents who exhibited those skills, but I think the chipmunk quick mittwork we see for two seconds clips on tv had less to do with it than the amalgam of everything else. Evidence suggests that they spent years touching up on the how’s and why’s before they became known for what many experienced eyes would, and do, call nonsense. But far too many boxing trainers are selling it to kids without the substance.

Mayweather does it more for conditioning and warm up. Just like Calzaghe used to slap the heavy bag with 1000+ slaps. Pedro Diaz does a good mittwork

This is why I have nothing against it. What I do not like is trainers showing that as their PRIMARY mitt work and I can tell you I have seen that first hand in competitions and gyms around this country.

A lot of the younger guys want to work the mitts like its going to get them laid. The flashy worthless stuff is good advertisement, but I see too many bad habits repeated over and over until they're muscle memory. I personally like using the mitts to check out a guys footwork, but most of the uber-fast flashy stuff is done while standing still.

Great article and this basically reflects the way I feel about it. I highlighted a good part of it here:

It's a terrible article. That style of mitt work is specifically for counter-punching. It's not the only style they use either, I've seen them teach the basic punches and have the fighters use leverage by planting their feet, turning their hips, and turning their hands over on the punches.

The problem is that people only see the counter-punching mitt work and assume that's all that they do; that's wrong.

Along with that, I can't help but be a bit perturbed by trainers who observe that style of mitt work and bite off of it by selling dvds breaking down how to do it. If anyone should be getting paid and making dvds off of that style, it should be the Mayweather's.

Coach Rick posts a gagillion videos a day doing the Mayweather style mitt work, yet hasn't produced a single champion biting off of it... a fighter he trained got stopped on ESPN by Karim Mayfield; it's just bothersome that he's promoting somebody else's mitt work to get paid.

This is why I have nothing against it. What I do not like is trainers showing that as their PRIMARY mitt work and I can tell you I have seen that first hand in competitions and gyms around this country.

Fair post, I can understand your viewpoint here, but to praise the article isn't a good look. The tone that writer takes is against that style of mitt work for the wrong reasons. They don't understand it and assume it's for flash.